The Big, Enchanting Easy
by Saintsavory
Summary: AU. A chance encounter in New Orleans draws Alex and Piper together.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Curses to my Muse—she struck me like a branding iron at the most inopportune time! This story came to me in a flash and begged to be written. Stay tuned for four chapters of what I hope will be a fun little story for the reader. Please let me know.

* * *

Piper had never seen windows _sweat_ the way they did in New Orleans in late August. It was Polly's bright idea to celebrate her bachelorette party in the Big Easy, but no one in their motley group knew exactly what 90 degree heat plus 100% humidity felt like. The good news was that every place they'd been to had air conditioning; the bad news was that sometimes you couldn't see out of the windows due to the heavy moisture.

It was their last of three nights in New Orleans, and Piper was glad that the party was coming to an end. She liked the six other women who were part of the bachelorette party, but it was just too much _together_ time and not nearly enough alone time. Sharing a bed with someone she wasn't going to have a physical relationship with was not something she looked forward to, yet she found herself sleeping next to Polly's cousin, Kori, in a double bed that felt more like a twin.

"I'm going to head down to the Library Bar while everyone gets ready," she announced, tying her hair in a low bun.

"Ok, we'll meet you when we're done," Polly replied over the noise of the blow-dryer.

Piper walked to the elevator, digging around in her purse for her new tinted lip gloss. With her head down as she rooted around in her bag, she physically bumped into another woman near the elevator.

"Whoa, easy." The dark haired woman took a step back.

Piper's head shot up. "I'm so sorry. I was…"

The woman standing two feet in front of her looked like a cover girl from the 1950s. She was tall—taller than Piper—and had wavy, jet black hair and wore secretary glasses. She had on a golden dress with a deep V-neck that seemed custom fit for her upper body, and on the pleated skirt, there were gray and blue birds.

"Getting your lipstick?" the brunette asked with a grin as she jutted her chin towards the gloss that Piper had finally found. "I've done it a hundred times."

"Bumped into someone?" She blinked a couple of times to try to stop herself from staring.

The elevator doors opened.

The brunette allowed her to step inside first. "Not necessarily bumped in to anyone, but had my head down, searching for something in my purse and tripped or dropped something. You know, the standard sort of distracted thing."

"Yeah." Piper smiled, wondering if the other woman noticed her gawking at her with an open mouth seconds ago—the very definition of _distracted_. "Well, I'm sorry for running into you. I had to get out of my room, and I forgot to put on lip gloss."

"No problem."

She could see the dark haired woman's reflection in the gold elevator door. The woman brushed her long hair behind one shoulder and had a close-lipped grin on her face. Piper used the metal on the door as a makeshift mirror and shoved the wand into the tube of lip gloss, and then dabbed it on her mouth. She smacked her lips together, and then put the cylinder back into her purse.

The elevator doors opened, and Alex stepped out. "It looks good by the way." She smirked. "The gloss, I mean; it's a good shade on you."

Piper was surprised at the compliment and didn't know how to reply. She looked at the other woman's mouth and noticed her bright red lipstick perfectly applied to her full lips. "Thanks." She glanced at the illuminated buttons to her right. "Wait, is this the third floor?"

"Yes," the woman said, holding her hand against the retracted elevator door. "Getting off?"

Piper nodded. "Thank you."

The brunette walked a few steps ahead, and Piper admired her ass. She tried to look elsewhere, but she was drawn to the taller woman's physical presence. They turned the corner together.

"You don't suppose we're going to the same place?" the woman asked.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "The Library Bar?"

The woman pursed her lips, seemingly trying to hide a smirk. "A fortunate coincidence."

 _Huh_. It was the blonde's turn to grin.

The stately bar resembled a library that one might find in an old, Uptown mansion—dark wooden walls, Oriental rugs, wingback leather chairs, and a long bar with a gold rail. A jazz musician was playing the saxophone in the far corner, and one of the two bartenders was shaking a cocktail over his shoulder.

"This place is packed," Piper commented as she took in the well-dressed crowd.

"Pre-dinner cocktails. It's a thing here." The brunette glanced at her. "Looks like there are two barstools open down there."

Piper noticed that those were the only two available seats in the room, which warranted the other woman's observation, but she wondered if the dark haired woman was issuing an invitation.

"After you," the woman said, extending an arm.

It was almost as if she didn't have a choice in the matter. She walked ahead and sat on one of the rawhide barstools. "If you're waiting for someone, I can find another seat," Piper tried.

"There are no other seats." The other woman sat on the stool next to her. "And I'm not waiting for anyone."

Piper sucked in her lips and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her loose bun.

"Evening, ladies," one of the bartenders greeted. "What can I get you?"

The brunette looked at Piper as if waiting for her to order first.

"I'll have a margarita on the rocks with salt," Piper ordered, and then glanced up at her companion.

"Sazerac, please."

"Did you know the Sazerac was invented in New Orleans?" Piper asked.

The woman hooked her purse on a knob underneath the bar. "I did."

"The original place where it was invented, the Grunewald Hotel, doesn't exist anymore, but The Roosevelt Hotel was built in its place," the blonde added. "There's actually a bar in The Roosevelt called _The Sazerac_."

The woman smirked. "I've been."

"You have?" Piper looked surprised. "I'm hoping my friends will want to go tonight."

The bartender set down the drinks. "Would you like to charge these to your room?"

"Yes," the dark haired woman quickly responded. "Room 1216."

"You don't have to pay for my drink," Piper said with a tiny shake of her head.

"I want to," she replied, holding out her right hand. "I'm Alex Vause, by the way."

She shook the other woman's hand. "Piper."

Her hand was soft and cool to the touch, and she had just the right amount of strength in the handshake. Piper noticed a gold, vintage-looking ring with a turquoise stone on one of her fingers.

"Nice to meet you, Piper." She smiled and raised her glass. "Shall we make a toast?"

"Sure." She raised her margarita.

"To meeting beautiful strangers in elevators," Alex said in a low voice before clinking her glass against the blonde's.

Piper tried to hide her blush by taking a long sip of her cocktail. She felt her pulse quicken at Alex's words. It had been a very long time since someone had flirted with her; even longer since the flirting was done by another woman.

"So what brings you to New Orleans, _Piper_?" Alex asked after sipping her drink.

There was something about the way the brunette said her name that made her body tingle.

"Bachelorette party," she replied, wiping salt off of her lips with a napkin. "This is our last night."

"Sounds like fun." She took another sip. "I'm assuming you're not the bride-to-be?"

"God, no," Piper said. "How'd you guess?"

"I looked at your finger."

Piper glanced at her own hand. "No ring."

"No ring," the brunette repeated with a smile.

"What about you?" she asked. "Why are you here?"

"Extended layover." Alex set down her cocktail. "I'm on my way to Cancun and decided to spend a few days in New Orleans en route."

"Cancun sounds nice," Piper said, taking another sip of her margarita.

"It is, but I'll be on business," she sighed.

Piper turned to face her companion. "What do you do, _Alex_?"

"I work for an international drug cartel," she replied while adjusting her black eyeglasses.

She let out a loud snort. "Sorry, what?"

"I work for an international drug cartel," Alex repeated with a knowing grin, as if she'd been asked that question before and received the same reaction.

Piper leaned over and whispered, "Shouldn't you keep your voice down when you tell a person something like that?"

Alex huffed. "The likelihood of my sitting next to a DEA agent in this bar are very slim. I'll take my chances."

"I don't even know what to do with that information," Piper let out in one nervous breath.

"It's not like I have a stash of cocaine in my purse," Alex half-laughed. "I'm not a drug dealer, Piper. I handle logistics and analytics, and I travel all over the world on the 'company's' dime."

Piper wasn't sure if she should flee or ask more questions. Alex's long black hair, red lipstick, sultry voice, and stunning physique kept the blonde rooted in her seat.

"You don't have to do anything with that information." Alex sipped her drink. "We're two attractive women, enjoying each other's company."

Piper blushed again. She'd almost drained her margarita, and the booze was getting to her. "I don't recall saying you were attractive."

Alex smirked. "You didn't have to _say_ it." She held up her hand for the bartender. "Want another?"

"Maybe something else this time." The blonde was thankful for the change in conversation. If she was pressed anymore about her companion's attractiveness, she'd be in trouble. "I've always wanted to try a Sazerac."

Alex slid her drink towards the blonde. "Try mine."

Piper looked up at her with questioning eyes, and the dark haired woman smiled. She couldn't recall a time since college where she'd drank out of someone else's glass whom she didn't know, yet somehow she trusted Alex. That didn't make much sense, what with the brunette confessing that she worked in the drug business, but Piper was anything but reasonable at that moment.

With a little grin on her lips, Alex watched her take a sip of the Sazerac. "Well?"

The blonde grimaced. "Ugh, that's whiskey!"

"Yeah, it is." She laughed. "What did you think was in a Sazerac?"

Piper wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I had no idea. It just sounds like a cool drink and has a lot of history."

The brunette tossed her head back with laughter. "You can't _drink_ history!"

Although the taste of rye in Piper's mouth was unpleasant, she couldn't help the _pleasantness_ washing over her body while watching her companion laugh. Her long neck was exposed, revealing milky white skin, and Piper wondered what she smelled like. She cursed herself for not taking in a big whiff of Alex in the elevator.

"I'll have another margarita," she told the bartender.

Alex lifted her glass, signifying to the bartender that she'd like another Sazerac. She drained the last sip of her cocktail and twisted her face. "Salty."

"Sorry, it's from my margarita." The blonde instinctively put her hand on her companion's wrist, and then immediately withdrew upon contact. "Sorry, I um…"

"You apologize too much, kid." The dark haired woman pushed her now empty glass towards the edge of the bar.

"Sorry, I do." Piper put her head in her hands and heard Alex chuckle. When she looked up, the brunette was smiling at her with a _yeah, you do_ look.

Just then, Polly and two other friends approached the bar. "Piper, we're all set. You ready?"

She noticed that Alex didn't turn around. "Oh, I just ordered another drink."

"Well, drink it fast; we have dinner reservations in 10 minutes," Polly said, glancing at her watch.

She looked Polly in the eyes. "I'll meet you in the lobby in 5 minutes."

Polly turned her attention towards Alex, then back at Piper, and raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she mouthed.

The blonde gave her best friend a pleading look.

Her friend shrugged and turned to walk away. "Five minutes, Piper, or we're leaving without you."

When the women were out of sight, Alex looked up. "Sounds like you've got plans."

The bartender delivered her drink.

"I'm sorry, Alex. Let me pay for this." She reached into her purse for her wallet, but the brunette stilled her hand.

"If you apologize one more time, I'm going to have to kidnap you and not allow you to go to dinner with your friends," she said.

Piper bit her lower lip. "Then I'm _definitely_ sorry."

Alex arched one eyebrow and smirked. "It was very nice to meet you, Piper. It's a shame you have to go."

The words, _it's a terrible shame_ , were on the tip of Piper's tongue, but she swallowed them and offered, "Maybe we'll see each other later tonight."

"I'm not much into _maybes_." Alex shook her dark hair until it obediently fell behind her shoulders. "But I like a good nightcap, so there's a chance I'll be down here around one, nursing a glass of Port. If you happen to be around, you can put it on _your_ tab this time."

"Sounds like a plan." The blonde grinned and held out her hand. "If we don't see each other again, it was really nice meeting you, Alex."

She shook the other woman's hand. "Have fun tonight."

* * *

"What was that about?" Polly asked on the rainy walk to the restaurant.

"Nothing," Piper replied with a shrug. "I met Alex in the elevator and we happened to sit next to each other at the bar."

The brunette gave her a knowing glance. "I've seen that look before, Pipes. You're not fooling me."

"So, it's ok that Veronica stuck _her_ _tongue_ in some random dude's mouth last night at Tropical Isle, but the second I even _talk_ to an attractive woman, I get the evil eye?" Piper asked with frustration.

Polly put her hand on the blonde's arm. "You're right. Sorry. Let's have some fun."

Piper smiled weakly, but she knew that Polly was judging her.

It hadn't been since college that she'd had a romantic relationship with a woman, and Polly was the one who'd heard it all—the good and the bad. Her best friend chose to remember the _bad_ more than the good after Piper's rocky breakup with her first girlfriend. Since then, Polly had been anti-woman as a mate for Piper, and encouraged her friend to stick with men. Piper tried to explain to her friend that she wasn't wired that way; she was attracted to women just as much as she was attracted to men, and she doubted that would change.

The blonde didn't want to ruin their last night in New Orleans on account of simply talking to Alex and hashing it out with Polly.

The bachelorette crew enjoyed a two-hour dinner, and then headed to Bourbon Street for their final night of debauchery. They'd already done the whole male stripper thing, and on that last night, Polly demanded that they flashed the mob of onlookers from a balcony in order to get beads—a tradition in New Orleans, not just during Mardi Gras.

Trouble was, the rain and wind had increased considerably as Hurricane Jackie approached the Gulf Coast, and most of the French Quarter balconies were closed. Instead, they opted for the Gold Mine, a popular dance club on the outskirts of the Quarter.

Piper had no problem enjoying herself and was perhaps a bit more inebriated than her friends by 11 p.m. due to her pre-dinner cocktail with Alex, two glasses of wine at dinner, and a tequila sunrise at the first bar they'd hit after their meal.

 _Alex_ , she thought—mysterious, beautiful and probably dangerous, _Alex_. If she was being honest with herself, those three words did more for her attraction to the virtual stranger than they did to deter her.

The familiar introductory beat of _Black Velvet_ blasted over the speakers in the dance club, and a handsome, younger man with a nice smile came up behind her and started gyrating against her ass to the beat. The blonde turned around and was about to tell him to _fuck off_ , but decided to let the man dance with her while she pictured Alex behind her, slowly melding their bodies together on the dance floor.

When the song was over, the blonde glanced at her watch, noticing that it was 12:30 a.m. She'd had enough to drink to prove that she was up for anything, but not enough to be drunk. "Sorry, I'm with someone else," she told the guy who'd danced with her.

She found Polly sipping her drink and dancing with Kori next to the railing. "I'm really tired," she yelled over Duran Duran's, _Rio_.

Polly looked at her like she had two heads. "But we're dancing. You love dancing!"

"I know, but I'm all danced-out," she tried. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tall brunette wearing a similar dress to the one Alex had on earlier. The woman looked up, and Piper's heart deflated—it wasn't her.

That was the moment when she knew that something _magical_ had happened back at the hotel bar. It was completely out of the ordinary; Piper had never met anyone who'd affected her this way. On the one hand, it disturbed her and she tried to shove it into the recesses of her mind. On the other, she couldn't get the dark haired stranger out of her head.

This was ridiculous, Piper thought. There she was, dancing to 80s music with her best friend's bachelorette crew, and her thoughts were drawn to an enigmatic women with whom she'd spent less than an hour in a random hotel bar.

"I'm staying until they play my song," Polly announced over the music. "If you want to leave, you're going solo."

Two of the other party-goers sandwiched Polly on the dance floor. It was evident that her friend was having a blast, and part of her felt guilty about leaving; but another part of her—the part that won out—thought she'd be missing an opportunity if she didn't see Alex one more time.

* * *

Piper left the crowded bar and headed down Dauphine and up Canal Street, the pouring rain beating on her exposed head. The alcohol in her system prevented her from doing the wise thing and hailing a cab, so she kept walking the half-mile back to The Ritz Carlton.

Once she was under the portico, Piper noticed that she was soaked to the core. The bellman welcomed her and opened the door. "You're a brave one, ma'am."

"Why do you say that?" Piper wrung out her hair.

"Them winds are gusting to about 20 miles per hour," he replied, shaking his head. "I know I wouldn't be out there walking like that."

She ignored the bellman's advice and headed to the elevator. There was a part of her that wanted to immediately go to the Library Bar, but it wasn't quite 1 a.m. yet, and she couldn't go into a public place the way she looked. Instead, she decided to change clothes and casually go down to the bar for nothing more than a nightcap. If Alex was there, that would just be coincidental…or so she told herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper removed her sopping wet dress and opted for a pair of white linen pants and a black tank top with spaghetti straps. She towel dried her hair, wiped her face with a washcloth, and then went down to the bar at 1:08 a.m., this time, remembering to put on lip gloss.

She casually walked inside, looking at her iPhone as she approached the bar. When she looked up, the bar was empty, except for the bartender and two couples seated in the armchairs near a window.

"What'll you have?" the bartender asked.

Piper scanned the room again, and Alex was nowhere to be found. "Oh, I'm…I was just looking for someone, thanks."

She exhaled loudly as the bartender walked away. _Oh, well_ , she thought. Maybe she'd misunderstood—perhaps Alex hadn't meant that they should meet in the Library Bar; maybe she'd meant that she would have a nightcap _somewhere else_. Piper thought for a second that she should order a Baileys and wait to see if the mysterious brunette showed up, but then she thought better of it.

She headed back upstairs and paused outside of the bank of elevators, where they'd met a few hours earlier. The wheels in her head began turning, and she realized that meant Alex was on the same floor. Piper recalled the dark haired woman charging the drinks to her room… _Room 1216_. Did she have the balls to knock on her door? What if that _wasn't_ Alex's room, and she ended up disturbing a slumbering guest?

Piper passed room 1212, 1214 and then came to 1216. She stopped outside the door and listened carefully. She heard a television broadcaster and maybe a zipper on a large bag or suitcase. Before she had time to devise a plan, she found herself tapping lightly on the door.

"Who's there?" came a female voice.

"Alex?" she asked tentatively.

The door opened just a tad, but it was stopped by the chain lock. She saw Alex peek through the opening.

"Piper?" the brunette shut the door and unhooked the chain before opening it fully. "What are you doing here?"

She brushed her damp hair across her forehead and shifted her weight nervously to the other leg. "I…um…I was in the mood for a nightcap."

The other woman smirked. "And you thought you'd find one up here?"

She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, hoping to raise her level of banter. "The bar is completely out of after dinner drinks. No cordials, no Port, no anything."

"Is that right?" Alex gave her a full, toothy smile. "Well, I might have something you can sip on." She moved to her right, opening her arm for Piper to enter the room. "Come in."

Piper hesitantly stepped inside and looked around. There was a large suitcase on the floor, and a garment bag hanging in the closet. The bed was unmade and there was an open book turned upside down on the comforter. Alex's eyeglasses were on the bed side table next to a glass of wine.

"Party's over?" the brunette asked, shutting the door and walking over to retrieve her glasses.

"Yeah," she half-lied. "We've been at it for three days. Besides, everyone is flying out early tomorrow morning."

Alex eyed her up and down. "What time's your flight?"

"I don't leave until like 1 or 2," she said, noticing the dark haired woman's attire: floral pajama shorts and a purple tank top. The innocence of the pattern on her shorts was in stark contrast to the brunette's dark hair and outrageously curvy body.

"I hate to tell you this, Piper, but you're probably not flying out tomorrow." She grabbed the remote and turned the volume on the TV louder.

The weatherman was talking about sustained winds of 100 miles per hour as the graphic showed four possible paths of Hurricane Jackie, all of which pointed to within 90 miles of New Orleans.

"I didn't realize it was that close," Piper admitted, taking a step closer to the television.

"Apparently the worst of it will happen around one o'clock tomorrow, or today for that matter." She looked at Piper. "But I highly doubt Bourbon Street closes for hurricanes unless it's one that really packs a punch."

She looked uneasily at the other woman. "And this one doesn't?"

Alex shrugged. "Compared to other storms, this one is minor, but it's enough to close the roads and the airport for up to 24 hours. At least that's what they're saying on the news."

Piper unconsciously plopped onto Alex's bed.

"Make yourself at home." She grinned.

The blonde immediately stood. "Sorry, I was just…I had no idea that the storm was that close or that severe."

The dark haired woman took a step towards her. "What did I say about apologies?"

She swallowed hard and looked up. "Right."

The women were mere inches apart, and Piper could feel her heart beating so fast that it seemed like Alex could see her chest pounding.

"About that nightcap…" the brunette trailed.

Piper raised her eyes expectantly.

"I want to take you somewhere," she said, "that is, if you're up for a little adventure."

Alex could have said, _I'll take you to Jupiter_ or _Shanghai_ or _to hell and back_ , and Piper would've agreed.

"Ok," she whispered.

The dark haired woman smiled. "I need to change clothes and freshen up."

She nodded.

"Meet me in the lobby in 15 minutes."

Again, Piper nodded as if she was under this woman's spell. "Fifteen minutes, ok."

Alex gently shoved her companion towards the door, and without that assistance, Piper might've been rooted in that spot for hours, just staring at the other woman. The cool breeze in the hallway brought her back to full consciousness, and Piper realized that she needed to go back to her room to collect herself.

Once in her hotel room, the blonde snapped back to reality as she stared at herself in the mirror. What in the hell was she doing? There was a hurricane approaching New Orleans, and she'd just agreed to _go on an adventure_ with a woman she'd met just a few hours ago.

If she didn't leave soon, she'd get cold feet. Plus, Piper knew that Polly and her friends would be back in the room and ready to crash. She took three deep breaths before straightening her hair with her fingers, dabbing some gloss on her lips, and heading out the door.

The blonde waited five minutes in the lobby before losing her courage. Just as she was about to retreat to her room, the brunette stepped out of the elevator.

Piper smiled, glad she stayed if only to see Alex in a short, black linen dress. "Hey."

"Hey." She smiled back. "Come with me."

Alex said something to the valet, and 60 seconds later, a Lincoln Town Car drove up. The brunette handed him a couple of dollars, and allowed Piper to get into the backseat first. This time, the blonde was able to get a good whiff of Alex—she smelled like an entire Aveda store, but Piper couldn't identify a singular herbaceous scent other than mint.

"Where are you taking me?"

"A place called Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop," she replied. "It's supposedly the oldest bar in the United States."

"Really?"

Alex nodded. "I think it only closed once in, like, two hundred years, and that was during Hurricane Katrina, so I'm sure it'll be open tonight."

"Doesn't look like any place is closed," Piper commented as she gazed out the window at the revelers frolicking in the streets.

The car stopped on St. Phillip Street, and the driver opened the door. A gust of wind made Piper lose her balance, and she grabbed Alex's arms to steady herself. "Whoa!"

"You ok?" Alex asked, holding onto the blonde's forearms.

"Yeah, let's get inside."

They walked briskly into the old bar, which was mostly empty. The place was dimly lit with votive candles and recessed lighting. There was an elderly woman playing the piano and a young bartender pulling a beer tap.

The brunette took Piper's wrist and led her to a table near the fireplace, which wasn't lit, but instead was filled with three thick, burning candles.

A cocktail waitress approached them for their drink order.

"Do you have any Port or Madeira?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, we have Fonseca Bin 27 and Graham's Six Grapes," she said.

Alex turned to the blonde. "Do you drink Port?"

"Not regularly, but I like it," she responded.

Piper liked the way the dark haired woman treated her when it came to ordering back at the Library Bar and now at Lafitte's. Alex wasn't opinionated or forceful; she seemed _certain_ and knowledgeable, but also genuinely curious about her companion's taste.

The brunette looked up at the server. "We'll have a glass of each."

"So, _Piper_ , you like to apologize, you're here for a bachelorette party, and you have an aversion to whiskey," Alex commented with a smirk. "What else do I need to know about you?"

She looked away, trying to hide her blush, which she was certain wasn't lost on Alex. "My last name is Chapman."

"Piper Chapman," she stated. "It has a nice ring to it."

"I graduated from Smith four years ago, I live in Manhattan, I'm starting my own business with Polly, and I wait tables."

The waitress delivered their drinks, and Alex seamlessly handed her credit card over.

Piper was going to protest, but she could sense that there was no use—Alex's smoothness was something to behold.

"Your own business? What are you selling?" she asked, focusing her attention back on the blonde.

"Soaps and lotions," Piper announced. "We haven't gotten it off the ground yet, but we'll probably be ready to launch by the end of the year."

Alex lifted her glass for a toast. "Cheers to that."

The blonde tapped her glass against Alex's. "Cheers."

"Mmm, this isn't bad," Alex commented. "Wanna taste?"

 _God, yes_ , Piper thought. I want my lips to be where your lips were. _I want to taste what you taste like_.

Instead of voicing her innermost thoughts, she settled for a "Sure," and slid her own glass to her companion so that she could sample the other Port.

The blonde took a small sip and closed her eyes, trying to distinguish which part tasted like Alex and which part was the sweet alcohol. "I like yours better."

"Have it. I'll drink this one," Alex offered. "So, you live in New York?"

"Polly and I are roommates." She nodded. "We have a place in the West Village."

The brunette lifted her eyebrows and grinned. "So do I."

She leaned forward. "No way!"

"Yeah," Alex said, adjusting her glasses. "I'm not there very often, but I bought a loft about a year ago in this little nook where Hudson meets Barrow."

Piper creased her forehead. "I don't know Barrow; we're on Bleeker and West 11th."

"That's like two miles from me," Alex chuckled. "We'll have to get together some time when I'm in the city."

"I'd like that," she commented after a long sip of Port.

They spent the next hour chatting non-stop, each taking turns talking about her life. Piper was fascinated by Alex's life and all of her international travel. She'd almost forgotten the reason behind the brunette's travel had to do with her position in a drug cartel. Truth be told, that didn't matter to Piper in the moment—Alex could've been a convicted felon and Piper would've still been captivated by her.

The wind howled outside, and as Piper looked out of the window, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the number. "I have to take this."

"Where the fuck are you?" Polly yelled.

"I couldn't sleep," she lied.

Alex pretended to focus on the piano player, but Piper could sense that she was listening.

"That doesn't answer my question," Polly replied.

"I, um…I went out for a nightcap…with Alex," she tried.

"Who in the hell is Alex?" the brunette asked.

"The woman I met at the hotel bar," Piper whispered.

She considered stepping away from the table to have a private conversation with her best friend, but her legs betrayed her.

She sensed Polly covering her face with her hands. "Pipes, there's a hurricane, barreling down on the city. We need to get to the airport in, like, three hours, and you need to try to get on my flight."

"I'll call the airline," she offered. "And I'll be back to the room soon."

The women ended the phone call, and Piper looked at her companion with worry. "Polly's worried about our flights."

"She should be," Alex stated. "You should probably get in touch with the airline to see if your flight has been cancelled." She pulled out her iPhone. "Who are you flying?"

"American, why?"

"I'm Executive Platinum on American and have a special number to call," she replied, dialing the number for the blonde, and then handing her the phone.

"Thank you," Piper said, thoroughly impressed by the woman across from her.

The blonde was informed by the American agent that her flight was indeed cancelled, at which point, Piper gave him an earful about the lack of notification. He told her that automated calls would begin at 5 a.m. and advised her to go to the airport as early as possible to try to get on a different flight.

"I guess I'll try to fly standby on Polly's flight, and if that doesn't work out, the rest of the girls are flying, like, an hour later on Jet Blue."

Alex drained her Port. "I should get you back, then."

Piper's heart sunk as if she'd been given grave news. Little did she know what kind of effect the dark haired woman would have on her.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." She doubted that she could keep the disappointment out of her tone.

The brunette dialed a number again, this time for the car service. "The driver will be here in ten minutes."

Piper tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I went to the Library Bar, you know."

Alex grinned. "Yeah, that's where we met. Well, technically we met in the elevator."

"No, I mean at one this morning." She lowered her head. "I went to the bar to look for you. I thought you'd wanted to meet me there."

"I did." Piper looked up to see Alex's raised brows. "I read down there from, like 12:30 to 1, hoping that you'd show up."

"I was there, and you certainly were not," Piper replied.

The brunette grabbed her hand, and the touch sent shivers throughout her body. "What was the _exact_ time you were there?"

Piper remembered looking at her phone as she entered the bar. "I think it was 1:08."

"I left at 1:05," she said with a small grin. "We probably passed each other in opposite elevators."

The blonde flushed.

She brushed her thumb across the back of Piper's hand and leaned forward. "I wanted to see you again, Piper."

The women stared at each other, and Piper could recognize the desire in Alex's eyes. She wondered if her companion could see the same thing in hers. They were interrupted when Alex's phone vibrated, indicating that the Town Car had arrived.

"We should get going." The brunette squeezed her hand, and then stood. "Get in the car, and I'll settle the bill."

Piper nodded, regretting the lost contact already.

They didn't touch on the car ride home, and Piper's hands literally itched at the lack of contact. How had this woman had such a profound effect on her in such a short period of time?

The women walked into the lobby and towards the bank of elevators.

"Tonight was…" Piper shook her head, worried about the wrong words spilling out and changed direction. "It was _really_ nice meeting you, Alex."

"It was nice meeting you, too," the brunette replied with a tight lipped smile. "Give me your number." She pressed the elevator call button. "I meant it when I said that I'd like to get together in Manhattan."

Piper dug in her purse for her newly printed Popi business card. Once she found it, she handed it to her companion. Their fingers touched, and Piper's breath hitched. If a simple touch felt like that, _what would it feel like to kiss Alex_?

"When will you be home?" She was thankful that she wasn't rendered speechless.

They stepped inside the elevator, and Alex hit the button for the 12th floor.

"Some time after Labor Day," she offered with a small sigh. "I'll call you."

The doors opened, and both women stepped out.

Piper hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "My room's that way."

"I'm the opposite way, but I guess you already knew that." She grinned. "Be careful in this weather and have a safe flight—if you get one."

Alex leaned in for a hug and placed a quick kiss on her cheek; Piper eagerly wrapped her arms around the taller woman's waist. She rested her head on the brunette's chest, taking in a long breath of her. It was definitely mint and grass and other scents of summertime. Piper wondered if Alex bathed in Aveda products, which brought her mind to _bathing with Alex_ , which is what caused her to pull away.

"Thanks, you, too," she said as she let go.

"Good night, Piper," Alex whispered.

The blonde waved. "Good night."

* * *

Piper didn't get even an hour of sleep before she had to get out of bed and head to the airport with the bachelorette crew. The weather had intensified, and every television and radio broadcast was focused on the storm and blaring throughout the hotel, in the cab and at the airport.

The blonde chatted with an American Airlines agent for 20 minutes and left with little hope that she'd make it out of New Orleans that day. She was on standby for two flights, but her lack of status with American had her name towards the bottom of the 30-person list.

There was a part of her that wanted to stay in New Orleans for one more night with Alex. There was so much she didn't know about the other woman, and she felt like she'd been a part of a cliffhanger ending to a television series and would have to wait nine months for it to air again to see what happened next. As time ticked by, that part of her grew exponentially, but she didn't let on.

"So what's with this Alex woman?" Polly asked as the final boarding group for her flight was called.

"She's just someone I met and connected with." Piper shrugged and tried to act nonchalant.

Her friend eyed her. "You went back to the hotel to meet her last night, didn't you?"

Piper blushed, knowing her friend could read her like a book. "I _really_ like her, Pol," she admitted with desperate eyes.

"Ungh!" Polly rolled her eyes. "You'll probably never see her again."

"She lives in the West Village," she replied with some amount of jubilation. "But she travels a lot."

"That's a happy coincidence for you." Polly stood and lifted her heavy bag over a shoulder.

The airline agent had called four names off the standby list, but Piper's name was third to last on the monitor hanging above the gate.

"I'm not getting on this flight, am I?" she sighed.

Polly gave her a sad smile. "Probably not."

"After you board, I guess I'll go to Veronica and Kori's gate to see if I can get on their flight."

The brunette stepped into line behind a family with three young kids. "That's not what you want to do, is it?"

She creased her brow. "What do you mean?"

"You secretly don't want to get on _any_ flight today," Polly said with a slight laugh. "I know you, Pipes. You want to go back to that hotel as fast as humanly possible and fuck Alex's brains out."

"Polly!" She gasped and slapped her friend on the arm.

The father of the young family gave Polly an evil glare.

"Sorry, I'm from New York; I can't help it," her friend said to the man. She turned to face Piper and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you felt a connection with Alex, you should see where that leads. I'll put a thousand dollars that a king sized bed is in your immediate future, but maybe it's more than that this time. You owe it to yourself to figure that out."

Piper smiled quickly at her friend, but she was confident trepidation took over her expression. "I might be making a huge mistake, but I _desperately_ want to see her again, Polly."

"Then _go_." The woman shrugged. "You're probably not getting out of here today anyway."

Piper hugged the hell out of her friend, and then kissed her on the cheek. "Have a safe flight. I'll call you later."

"Sounds good." Polly smiled.

Ignoring the _Wet Floor_ sign just outside of Polly's gate, Piper jogged past the newsstand with her luggage trailing behind her. She couldn't fool herself any longer—there was no way in hell she was leaving New Orleans that day, and it had nothing to do with a seat on a plane.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This chapter is rated M for Mature. You should know why.

* * *

The line for a cab or a Town Car was nearly an hour long, and Piper cursed herself for not being alert enough to get Alex's phone number the night before. All she knew was that the dark haired woman was scheduled to fly home the following day, so she assumed that meant one more night at The Ritz.

"Weather's really picking up out here," the black cab driver announced. "You lucky you got me when you did; they closing I-10 and Airline Highway in 'bout an hour."

"Is the hurricane coming ashore?" She put on her seatbelt.

"They say it's gonna hit Biloxi, but that don't mean we ain't gonna get more wind and rain," he commented, turning his windshield wipers higher. "Look at all these branches scattered on the road already. Like I said, you lucky you got me when you did. This is my last pass by the airport."

"Thank you." Piper pulled her phone out of her purse to call the hotel.

He looked at her through the rearview mirror. "What cell service you got?"

She powered on her iPhone. "Verizon, why?"

"Don't bother trying to make a call." The cabbie shook his head. "Verizon and T-Mobile are out of service. Only one that works is Sprint."

Ignoring his advice, she tried calling The Ritz Carlton, but immediately got a busy signal. She saw the driver shaking his head at her attempt.

Piper looked out of the window and took a deep breath. She was concerned about the severity of the storm, but she also didn't have a plan for what she'd do if she _found_ Alex, or what she'd do if she _didn't_ _find_ her.

One of the main streets was closed, so it took 20 minutes longer than necessary to get back to the hotel. Piper paid the driver, and then proceeded with her luggage into the lobby. She sat on one of the plush sofas as she tried to figure out her next move. As she sat there, she noticed a constant stream of people coming in and looking up at the weather report on TV. She heard some of them talking about the hotel having a "skeleton staff" and giving guests flashlights and candles to prepare for a power outage.

"Excuse me," she approached a front desk agent. "If the power goes out, don't you have a big generator or something?"

"Yes, ma'am," the young woman began. "But it only powers the essential things in the hotel like the air conditioning and lights in the lobby, kitchens, & hallways. Unfortunately, the rooms won't have electricity or hot water if we lose power."

"So this is really a big deal?" Piper asked, scratching her forehead.

"Yes, ma'am, but we're here to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Did you already get your supplies?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear, not wanting to let the woman know that she'd already checked out and technically didn't have a room for the night. "Um, no…I'm ok, thanks."

Piper decided to call Alex's room on the house phone. She took a deep breath before dialing 1216. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the line rang four times.

No answer.

She hung up the phone and hung her head. Maybe Alex was taking a shower. She waited another five minutes before trying to call her again. Still, no answer. So she got into the elevator and walked to the brunette's room. Again, she inhaled deeply before knocking on the door, mentally preparing herself for their encounter. "Alex?"

No answer.

She listened for running water, but it was silent in the guest's room. Piper journeyed back down to the main level and asked the bellman to store her luggage as she thought of her next move. It was going on noon, and her tummy growled. She realized that she hadn't eaten since an early dinner the night before.

"Are any of the restaurants open?" she asked.

"Both restaurants are open, ma'am, but from what I hear, there's a long wait," the bellman responded.

Piper decided to go to the Library Bar, hoping that Alex would be there, plus she needed to find something to eat. She recalled seeing a limited food menu when she was there the night before.

She scanned the room, and Alex wasn't near the fireplace or on the leather sofa. She wasn't seated near the window or by the tall bookcase. Piper took another few steps into the room to get a good look at the customers seated at the bar.

At the far end, where she and Alex had sat the night before, she saw the dark haired woman with her nose buried in a book. Just then, Alex looked up and caught the blonde's eye.

Piper bit her lower lip as she watched the corners of Alex's mouth slowly turn up. If she had time to think of anything other than the fastest way to get to the brunette, she would have thought this was like a scene from a romantic movie.

Alex uncrossed her legs, and then pulled out the stool next to her, making a motion with her head for Piper to join her.

"Hi," Piper greeted with a shy smile.

"Hey." Alex's smile was wider than hers. "No luck at the airport?"

It was now or never, Piper thought. She shrugged and eyed her companion. "I didn't wait to find out."

Alex closed the book that she'd been reading and licked her lips. "I heard the hotel is booked solid tonight."

Damn her, the blonde thought, she was going to make her work for it.

Piper stepped closer, forcing the dark haired woman to spread her legs wider so that the younger woman could stand between them. "I know someone staying here, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Does he know you came back for him?" Alex placed her fingertips on the outside of the blonde's bare leg, just below the hem of her dress.

"It's a _she_ ," Piper whispered, dangerously close to the brunette's ear. "And I think she does now."

Alex's other hand rose to Piper's hip and she squeezed hard. The women gazed at each other, and Piper bit down hard on her back teeth, trying to keep a moan from escaping.

"Sorry about the wait, what can I get you, ma'am?" The bartender's timing was shit.

The brunette pulled back but didn't remove her hand from Piper's upper leg. "Mitch, would you mind sending a Club sandwich to my room? And a six pack of whatever's cold." She turned to the blonde. "Hungry?"

Piper didn't take her eyes off of the woman in front of her. "Starving."

The dark haired woman signed the receipt, and then took Piper's hand in hers. She pulled her through the bar, down the hallway and kept walking past the elevator.

"You just passed the elevator," Piper commented.

"If the power goes out in the next minute, we'll be stuck in there," Alex began, not looking back. "And the only place I want to be stuck with you is in a room with a bed."

She opened the door to the stairwell and attacked the blonde the second they were inside.

" _Alex_ ," the blonde pleaded as Alex tugged on her lower lip.

"Hmm?" she questioned, not removing her mouth from the other woman's lips.

"Upstairs, now." Piper's words betrayed her actions: she'd managed to get one hand up the brunette's shirt and felt the underside of her right breast. Just as she tried to wrap her hand around Alex's voluptuous breast, the dark haired woman pulled back.

From the third floor, they climbed six sets of stairs before stopping and making out again. Both women were out of breath from climbing the steps and exchanging oxygen while they kissed.

Alex grabbed Piper's ass and massaged it while plunging her tongue into the blonde's mouth.

"Three more flights," Piper commented, pulling back and placing a string of kisses across the other woman's chest.

They climbed the last three flights of stairs and the lights flickered twice. They doubled over in front of Alex's hotel room, trying to catch their breath. Piper started laughing first, and then, as if it was contagious, Alex started laughing, too.

The lights flickered once more, and then the power went out. Ten seconds later, the emergency lights illuminated in the hallway. Alex dug in her back pocket for her room key, still breathing heavily and laughing at the fact that if they _had_ taken the elevator, there was a chance that they'd be stuck.

"Here we are again," the brunette said, allowing Piper to enter the room before her.

The blonde turned around as Alex stepped closer. "Under different circumstances this time."

"How so?" Alex cupped her cheek with one hand and leaned in to kiss her.

"The power's out," Piper teased.

The brunette chuckled against her lips. "That's the only thing that's different?"

"We're both in different clothes," she offered, deliberately staying away from the explanation Alex was surely looking for. She put her hands on Alex's ass and allowed the dark haired woman to continue kissing all over her face. "And it's not the middle of the night."

Alex pulled back and rubbed her thumb along the blonde's chin. "If this was a game show, you'd lose."

Piper grinned and used her most seductive voice, "Then why don't _you_ tell _me_ how things are different this time?"

"You want me," Alex offered with a smirk. She unzipped the blonde's dress, and then stepped behind her. As she opened the fabric, she placed kisses on the now bare skin of Piper's back.

Piper tilted her head to the side, allowing Alex's lips to travel up her back, to her shoulder and up her neck. She placed her hand on the side of the dark haired woman's head and moaned.

After a few more kisses, Piper turned around and was face to face with her soon-to-be lover. "That's not different from last night."

That was all it took for Alex to pounce on Piper once again. The blonde's hands couldn't move quick enough to get Alex undressed, and she cursed at her impatience as the brunette already had her in just her thong and matching pink bra.

Alex took a step back to admire the younger woman's body. She reached out to touch her stomach. "You're gorgeous."

"Take off your clothes," Piper begged, stepping into Alex's embrace again.

The dark haired woman did as she was told and stood before Piper completely naked. She walked Piper backwards until they fell heavily onto the bed, causing them both to smile against the other's mouth. Alex reached down to snake her hand down the blonde's body. Her fingers traveled past the waistband of her underwear and didn't stop there.

"God, Alex!" She bucked up into her hand. "Right there."

The brunette stopped kissing her and watched Piper's face scrunch up as she moved her fingers in and out of her opening, thumb dancing on her clit. Piper's orgasm hit hard and fast, and her eyes darted open as her mouth made the shape of an O and little puffs of air escaped along with sharp moans. "I'm cuming, Alex. I'm cuming!"

When the orgasm ran its course, the dark haired woman kissed her lover soundly on the mouth and withdrew her hand from her depths.

"Oh, my God," Piper panted, reaching out to brush the hair out of Alex's face. "That was incredible."

Alex smirked. "Worth staying in New Orleans an extra night?"

"Definitely." The blonde rolled over, trapping Alex beneath her. "Your turn."

It had been five years since she'd had sex with a woman, but she remembered in an instant why she loved it. To be fair, she'd never had an orgasm that quickly before—with a woman or a man.

She kissed a path down Alex's long torso and enjoyed the feel of her soft, porcelain skin. When she reached the juncture between her legs, Piper took a deep breath. She smelled divine, and the blonde couldn't wait another second before plunging her tongue inside of her.

" _Fuck_ , Piper." Alex writhed on the bed, and the blonde had to push her hips back down with one hand. With the other hand, she spread her lover's lower lips wider and licked her from stem to stern. She twirled her tongue around Alex's clit several times before licking her with the fullness of her tongue once again.

Alex made a few undistinguishable sounds before she came in Piper's mouth. The blonde put her entire mouth on her lover's pussy, trying to suck out the juices that flowed out of her, relishing in the tangy, sweet taste of Alex Vause.

When she was wrung out, Alex reached for her lover's shoulders and pulled her up.

"Can I kiss you?" Piper smiled as her mouth hovered over Alex's.

She returned the smile. "Of course you can. Why wouldn't you?"

"Some women don't like the taste of themselves," she offered.

"I don't care what _I_ taste like," the brunette said, kissing her firmly. "I just want your mouth on mine."

They made out for another 20 minutes, rubbing and touching every inch of each other, mouths never parting for more than a few seconds. The only thing that stopped them was a loud clap of thunder that shook the building.

Piper looked out of the window at the rain, pounding against the glass. "I guess this is the brunt of the storm."

"Yeah." Alex rubbed her back in long, slow strokes. "I'm glad we're not out there."

"Me, too." She kissed her shoulder.

A knock on the door startled both of them. "Room service."

Piper had forgotten that Alex had ordered lunch down in the Library Bar.

"That took long enough," Alex said.

"At least he didn't knock mid-orgasm," Piper quipped.

The brunette rolled out of bed, slapping Piper's ass as she stepped down. "I'm sure you're starving."

She put on a robe, looked back to ensure that Piper was covered, and then opened the door. "Thank you." She signed the receipt and took the food tray and six pack of Abita Amber inside.

Piper sat up and reached for the tray. "I wish you would've ordered two of these."

"You can have it," she offered, grabbing a bottle opener off of the dresser, and then popping open the longnecks. "I ate a late breakfast."

"Are you sure?" Thunder clapped again. "At least have some chips."

She handed a beer to Piper, and then picked up the bag of chips. "Zapp's: my favorite. These are the spicy ones. You'll want the beer to chase them."

The blonde popped a chip into her mouth and then breathed out what felt like fire. "Fuck! What are these?" She took a long swig of Abita Amber.

"Spicy Cajun Crawtators," Alex read the front of the orange and silver packaging. "I can't get enough of them." She put two more in her mouth. "In fact, I might order a case."

Piper took a huge bite out of one of the triangular sandwiches and had to cover her mouth with the back of her hand to stop food from flying out as she giggled at Alex, who was busy stuffing her mouth with more potato chips.

"What?" She asked around a mouthful. "Sex makes me hungry."

That earned her a full giggle, and Piper had to put a napkin over her mouth as little bits of bread and turkey flew out as she laughed. She closed her eyes to try to focus on swallowing.

The women drank their beers and ate the Club sandwich & chips as the rain struck the window pane and the wind howled through the courtyard below.

Alex walked over to the window. "Wow, this is something. I've never been through a hurricane."

"Me neither," Piper replied. "Is it possible to get the news feed on your phone?"

The dark haired woman returned to the bed, phone in hand, this time behind the blonde. "We can try."

Piper leaned back and drew her lover's arms around her as Alex pressed a few buttons to find a news stream. "This looks promising." Sure enough, the picture on the phone was crystal clear as they watched the live reports from the Gulf Coast.

"You must have Sprint," Piper said under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"How much longer do you think these sustained winds will last?" a news anchor in the studio asked.

The weatherman stationed in Grand Isle held his hood to his head as the wind beat him pretty badly. "Another two hours of the heavy stuff, Norman. We can expect the storm to dissipate considerably by 4 or 5 p.m."

"Those people are idiots," the blonde said. "I mean, it's so sensationalized—the reporter being blown around by the wind and the rain fogging up the camera. He's _on the fucking beach_ where there's zero protection! What does he _think_ will happen?"

She felt Alex chuckle. "I know, right?"

Piper wiped her eyes and exhaled. "I could use a nap. You?"

The brunette's arms tightened around Piper's waist. "I could definitely use a nap."

They didn't even lay on their sides; Alex scooted down a little, and Piper readjusted her head into a more sleep-worthy position, using her lover's breasts as pillows. They fell asleep within minutes.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex was the first to wake up, and Piper felt her new lover untangle herself from their current position. The brunette went to the bathroom, and then walked over to the window. She looked back at Piper, who was lazily blinking her eyes into wakefulness.

"The wind died down and it's just drizzling," the dark haired woman noted. Before she climbed back into bed, she tried turning on a lamp. "Hey, the power's back on!"

"That's a relief." She stretched, revealing her naked torso. "What time is it?"

Alex grinned at her exposed body. "Almost four."

"Wow, we slept for three hours." Piper sat up.

The brunette leaned in to kiss her on the lips, placing one hand on her cheek. "We were up kind of late last night."

Piper wrapped her hand around Alex's wrist and leaned into the brunette's touch. "I hate to even ask this question, but what time is your flight tomorrow?"

"I think 8:30 or 9 a.m." She dropped her hand. "What about you?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't have a flight yet."

Alex sat up with what appeared to be an idea forming in her head. She took Piper's hand. "Let's stay an extra night. I'll change my ticket and cover your costs."

Piper blushed. "Thank you, Alex. I _do_ want to stay with you, but I have to get back to work."

"You're a fucking waitress!" She chuckled.

She looked down, embarrassed by her profession.

"I didn't mean it like that," Alex sighed and brushed a piece of hair out of the blonde's face. "I have total respect for people in the service industry. What I meant was that you're not as accountable as if you worked in a corporate job or something."

"I get it," Piper said, looking up at her. "But my job is important to me. I've been working at the restaurant for four years."

"Tell them you were delayed because of a fucking hurricane," she explained with a shrug. "It's not a lie, and they _have to_ understand that."

"True," Piper said. She didn't need much convincing to stay with Alex, but she liked listening to the other woman's reasoning.

She tilted her head and gave Piper a hopeful smile. "Say you'll stay."

It was then when she realized that Alex had a bad ass exterior and exuded confidence, but when it came down to it, she was like a vulnerable, loveable kid.

The blonde rubbed the inside of her lover's wrist. "I'll stay."

Alex got on her knees and kissed Piper until the blonde fell onto her back. They giggled as Piper bounced a few times on the soft mattress.

"I'll call American, and then I'll hand the phone to you," the dark haired woman said.

* * *

By seven o'clock in the evening, the couple had had copious amounts of sex in some positions that Piper didn't think were possible. She achieved an orgasm every single time Alex touched her center, either with her fingers or her mouth. Alex's body reacted the same way. It was as if their bodies were awakened after twenty-something years of slumber.

The women showered together, where the brunette got on her knees and gave Piper yet another heart-pumping orgasm. Just as she was about to go down on Alex, the taller woman stopped her with a hand on the chest. "Wait. Let's get clean, go out, and then come back for more."

"Ok," Piper acquiesced with a wide grin. "But it's my turn to do you when we get back."

"You will never hear me complain about it being _my turn_." She smirked. "Though I do love showing you how beautiful you are." She punctuated that last statement with a long, wet kiss.

"Are we getting out of here or not?" Piper began asking against her lover's lips. "Because I could be persuaded to stay."

She pushed back. "Yes. Out. Now."

The dark haired woman made a few calls while Piper put herself together more properly. (Alex had the bellman bring Piper's luggage to _their room,_ and the blonde was thankful to have two outfits that she hadn't worn.)

While Alex was on the phone, Piper went down to the lobby to shoot a quick e-mail to Polly, letting her know her plans and new flight information. She also mentioned that Verizon cell service wasn't working, so it would be difficult to stay in touch.

When she returned to their room, Alex was dressed in what had to be an Anthropologie dress with images of peacock feathers on the bottom and a black, woven top. Her shiny hair was wavy, a thick part over each shoulder.

"I'm back." Piper retreated to the bathroom to try to give her hair some life. The humidity had done no favors to her limp locks, but she tried using her curling iron one more time.

"I'm taking you to a fabulous restaurant tonight," Alex said without preamble as she approached the blonde from behind. "I just called and they're open with limited seating and a special tasting menu."

Piper looked at the reflection of herself with Alex wrapped around her in the bathroom mirror and thought, _Damn, we'd make a stunning couple_. "Good, I'm famished again."

"I'm telling you: it's the sex."

* * *

Alex took her to Restaurant August, where they enjoyed a 12-course tasting menu, complete with wine pairings. They talked about their lives, asking each other questions throughout the three-hour ordeal. Piper learned that her lover's mother passed away a year ago, and the blonde confessed that she had a shitty relationship with her parents. They didn't talk much about their childhood, but Piper gleaned enough to know that her companion grew up poor and without a father.

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, and not once did Piper feel like she needed to fill the silence with superfluous words. In fact, there was no silence to fill. Just as the courses kept surfacing from the kitchen, words kept pouring from their mouths. They didn't interrupt each other or stumble over who should speak first like what happened in most young relationships; rather, they gave each other their undivided attention and jumped in when it was appropriate.

"I'm stuffed." Alex put her hand on her belly. "You?"

She pushed her dessert plate away. "I couldn't put another bite of food in my body."

The bill came, and Alex slid her credit card into the portfolio before Piper could get in a word. She held up her hand. "I told you I'd take care of the expenses of you staying an extra night. I meant it."

The blonde took her hand, bringing it to her lips. "Thank you, Alex."

The weather outside was actually lovely by 11 p.m. It had cooled down considerably, and the humidity wasn't nearly as bad as it had been days earlier. The hurricane had moved north, leaving quite a bit of debris in the streets, but all things considered, it wasn't a major weather event for the city of New Orleans.

The couple walked hand-in-hand down the street, and it felt completely natural—like they'd done this a thousand times. It struck the blonde so much, that she felt the need to verbalize it.

"Does this feel oddly familiar to you?"

Alex squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it does."

Piper didn't add anything further; she was content knowing that she wasn't alone in that feeling of normalcy.

Their walk took them down side streets, and despite the darkness, the women admired the old French & Spanish architecture in the city, each one pointing out a unique building.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, it was close to midnight. Alex still had two candles that the hotel had given her before the power outage, so she lit them and bathed the room in a soft glow.

Without saying a word, the women slowly undressed each other, lips following fingers on bare skin. Sex before that moment was all about passion and release, but this time was vastly different. It was more _conscious_. Neither woman rushed to get her partner off; rather, they spent hours just touching each other and familiarizing themselves with every beauty mark and scar that they could find.

Piper found one particular scar on the brunette's lower abdomen shaped in a V, like a child's drawing of a bird, and bathed it with her mouth. Listening to the little sounds that Alex made was enough to drive her insane, but she waited out the inevitable need for her own release in favor of showering her lover with warmth.

They drifted off to sleep, Piper's head on Alex's stomach, at around 3 a.m. and didn't wake up until late the next morning.

* * *

"Good morning, sleepy head," Alex greeted in a groggy voice.

Piper didn't lift her head, which was still on the dark haired woman's tummy. Instead, she rubbed Alex's naked right leg in long strokes. "Morning."

The brunette ran her fingertips through blonde hair. "It's 11 o'clock."

That caused Piper's head to jerk up. "Holy shit!" followed by, "Ow." Her sleeping position made for a sore neck and back.

Seeming to sense Piper's discomfort, Alex pulled her up and massaged her shoulders and neck. "That better?" She kissed the blonde on the shoulder.

"Mmm, yeah."

"I'll book us two massages today." She reached for the hotel phone and did exactly as promised. "They can take us in an hour. Sound good?"

Despite the pain, Piper craned her neck up to kiss her lover. "Sounds fantastic, thank you."

The women went to the restaurant in the lobby for a light breakfast, and then showered, changed and headed for their 90 minute couple's massage. Piper was so relaxed at one point that she fell asleep, and when she woke up a few minutes later, she saw Alex turn her head and smile. The dark haired woman reached for her hand, and they locked fingers for a moment before the masseuse turned them over.

After their second shower of the day, and Piper making good on a promise to go down on her lover in the tub, the women decided to take a river boat cruise on the Creole Queen. The weather was downright gorgeous, considering that a hurricane had passed through 24 hours earlier. One of the locals told them that it was pretty typical to have one or two nice days after such a big tropical system.

"I think I could live here," Alex said, arms wrapped around her lover at the bow of the boat as they passed under a high bridge.

Piper craned her neck to look at her. "Me, too. I never thought I'd want to leave New York, but this city is…"

"Enchanting," Alex offered with a tiny smile.

She returned the smile. "Yes, enchanting."

* * *

On their final night in New Orleans, Alex took Piper to The Sazerac Bar in The Roosevelt Hotel.

"I didn't think you'd remember that I wanted to come here." Piper looked around with wonder.

"It's one of the first things you told me." The brunette gave her a closed lip, sweet smile, and then put her hand at the small of Piper's back and led her to a table with a view of the Paul Ninas mural.

"What a beautiful place." Piper admired the African walnut bar, the historic art on the walls, and the classic New Orleans décor. "I didn't think it would be this…grand."

A server greeted them and took their drink orders. Although the blonde wanted desperately to like Sazeracs, she hated whiskey and opted for a French 75. Alex ordered a Sazerac, of course, and made her lover promise to taste this one, which would be made with Bourbon instead of rye whiskey.

"Did you know that New Orleans was once described as 'the cradle of civilized drinking'?" the blonde asked, still marveling at the regal bar.

"I didn't know that." Alex smiled as if tickled by the blonde's random knowledge.

"And the Sazerac is considered the world's first _mixed drink_ ," she added. "Lots of cocktails were invented in this city, like the Ramos Gin Fizz and the Hurricane. Peychaud's Bitters were also invented here. I can't say that I've had them, but still."

"You're just of fount of knowledge," the brunette commented around a laugh.

Piper lowered her head. "Sorry, when I get nervous or excited, I tend to rattle on."

"First, you're not _rattling on_ , and second, I hope you're not nervous." She grabbed Piper's hand across the table.

"Definitely not nervous." She grinned. "Just excited."

"About what?" Alex caressed the back of her hand with the pad of her thumb.

"About being in this bar…" Piper tilted her head. "About being with you."

The cocktail server delivered their drinks, and both women raised their glasses for a toast.

"To unexpected circumstances," Piper offered, beating Alex to the punch.

"Cheers." She smiled, and then took a sip. "Wow, this is even better with Bourbon. Taste."

The blonde took a sip and didn't grimace this time. "Not bad, but still not something I'd order."

"You're missing out, kid."

They watched a three-piece jazz band play a Louis Armstrong song, and when the musicians took a break, Piper asked a question. "What's the most exotic place you've ever been?"

"Most exotic? Hmm…" The dark haired woman leaned back, tapping her chin with a finger. "Either Papeete in Tahiti or Maya Bay in Thailand."

"Those are certainly exotic." Piper said around a sip of her cocktail.

It was the brunette's turn to ask a question. "If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"That's a difficult question; there are so many types of places," Piper began. "If it was a tropical destination, I'd probably say Tahiti. If it was a cultural experience, I'd choose Brussels or maybe Rome. If it was a culinary excursion, I'd go to Bologna."

Alex grinned. "You've spent some time thinking about this."

She shrugged. "Not really, but those locations just come to mind. I've traveled to Europe before, but I was young and stupid. I'd love to go back as an adult who can appreciate the finer things in life."

"You should come with me," Alex offered after a sip of her cocktail. "I'd buy you a plane ticket. We could travel all over the world."

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" The dark haired woman lifted her shoulders.

 _Why not, indeed_ , Piper thought. She willfully ignored the fact that her lover was in a drug cartel. Traveling around the world with Alex sounded like the most marvelous thing she could ever imagine.

"Maybe one day" the blonde replied with a Mona Lisa-like grin.

* * *

After a cup of gumbo and three cocktails, the women headed back for their last night together in New Orleans. Both of their flights were early the next morning, and Piper didn't know if she'd be able to sleep at all that night. Knowing herself, she'd want to spend every last moment awake in Alex's arms.

They only had sex once that night. The rest of the time, they kissed and talked about everything from Alex's drug-using days to Piper's big plans for Popi.

The blonde was right about not falling asleep—to be fair, she did manage to close her eyes for about an hour, but that could hardly be called, _sleep_.

The morning came all too soon, and the women were forced to separate from each other in order to get ready for the day. Piper struggled to get out of bed as she rested in her lover's arms, but once Alex pulled the trigger, it was easier for her to follow suit.

They didn't talk much that morning—neither seemed to be in a chipper mood at their impending goodbyes.

Before they left the hotel room, Alex took a deep breath and put her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Thank you for staying with me."

Piper shook her head and gazed into her lover's eyes. "I don't want this to end."

"It doesn't have to." She kissed the blonde's forehead. "I was serious about buying you a plane ticket to meet me anywhere in the world. All you have to do is say the word."

She leaned forward, pressing her mouth softly against Alex's lips. "Ok."

They hugged each other tightly, and then proceeded to the lobby and ultimately to the airport.

* * *

Because they were both flying American Airlines, they were in the same terminal. Piper's flight was expected to depart 40 minutes prior to Alex's, so they waited at the blonde's gate together.

As the airline agent began boarding her set of rows, Piper stood. "I guess this is goodbye."

The dark haired woman stayed seated and reached for her hand. "Let's not think of it as goodbye. It's more of an, _I'll inevitably see you soon_."

"Inevitably?" Piper raised her eyebrows.

Alex grabbed her other hand and swung their joined hands between them. "For some reason that word seems right."

"It does." She smiled, and tugged the brunette to a standing position.

They were impossible close, hands held on either side of their legs, dangling down. Their chests were almost touching, and they stood there, staring at each other with a little bit of sorrow and a little bit of joy for having met.

Alex leaned down to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's lips. "I'll be in touch."

Piper kissed her with the same lightness. "Thank you, Alex. This was…"

"Magical?" she offered with a tender smile.

"Yeah, magical." Piper hugged her lover tightly, and then walked the ten steps to board the plane.

One thing she knew for absolute certain: this was only the beginning.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know this story begs to be continued, but I hope you find that it ended on a sweet note. I don't know when or if I'll pick it up again. Depends on the level of interest and my available time. Thanks for reading and leaving comments!


End file.
